


Facets of a Family

by valantha



Series: Fun with drabbles [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AO3 1 Million, Drabble Collection, F/M, Families of Choice, Gen, Jossed, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-12 13:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1186511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valantha/pseuds/valantha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six skilled individuals. Thirty-one reflections defining a family.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No one knows what’s in May’s head except May

**Author's Note:**

> What better way to celebrate AO3 reaching 1,000,000 fan works than a collection of drabbles?  
> I have a grandiose goal of someday doing a drabble for every character combination, but we'll see if my work-load allows that…

**Phil**

He had died. She hadn’t been there. She hadn’t had his back, because she was pushing paper, rubber-stamping files. That wasn’t going to happen again.

He was alive, but changed, scarred. Life is change, trying to regress was hell. Picking at scars just made them bleed.

Akela Amadour noticed something more, something _off_. She was right, but she was also wrong.

He was still Phil, still chatty, still understated, still loved awful junk food, his suits, and useless memorabilia.

He was softer: used more non-lethal options, gave more second chances. But how much was him, and how much was _that_?

 

**Ward**  

He was young; he was eager. He thought he was a loner – a _Specialist_ – but what he really wanted was to prove himself.

He wanted to be strong; he needed to protect. She was stronger; she didn’t need protection.

He claimed he could ‘separate church from state’, but she wasn’t so sure anymore. In the beginning it was physical, and then after the Berserker Staff, he needed more. She lowered her shields, told him _enough_.  

He had tensed when he saw Phil tend to her wound. He was emotionally compromised – jealous even. She had made a mess of things, again.

 

**Skye**

She was unpredictable. An unknown element – even _before_ she was revealed to be a 0-8-4. She had skills, and guts, and occasionally good fashion sense, but still unpredictable.

Her motives were conflicted, messy. May liked it when she could map out the next few moves – game theory, chess-masters, feints and counter-strikes – but Skye threw a wrench in the works.

That’s not to say she didn’t like the girl, didn’t admire her abilities, but she made things not go smooth.

She had proven herself with Vanchat and saving Phil. May wanted her to wake, to heal, wanted her disruptive presence back.

 

**Fitzsimmons**  

They were innocent. Wrapped up in their own science-world they didn’t see the rest. Which was why they still were innocent. They were unprepared; they needed protection.

They were irrepressible, but followed orders. They were full of puppy-like enthusiasm and scientific curiosity.

They got the job done. Alien viruses or Centipede tech, they got the job done.

They were gentle hands mending torn flesh, calloused hands rebuilding broken equipment.

Inquiring minds, bright eyes, and waggly puppy tails. Gritted teeth, tight eyes, and resolve.

They were growing, learning, and changing. She didn’t know if that was something to celebrate or mourn.

 

**The Bus**  

It was sleek. It was maneuverable. It was _responsive_. It could do things many though were physically impossible – hover, Crazy Ivans, and landing on a dime to name a few – and do them well.

It was safety; it was security. It was the relief of knowing that you could leave your troubles behind at near Mach speeds in a nearly indestructible tin can stuffed to the brim with equipment and irreplaceable personnel.

It was quiet; it was solitude. It was peace, long sought after.

It was laughter. It was Game Nights and Snack Time. It was family. It was home.


	2. Grant Ward - No Longer the Total Solution

**Melinda**

The Cavalry.

An agent so skilled she was legend, and rightly so.

A woman so badass she could dislocate her wrist and take down half a dozen Peruvian goons without breaking a sweat.

An agent who respected him enough to suggest he take Skye under his wing.

A private woman he was just beginning to get to know, with facial expressions he was just beginning to decode.

A woman with so much inner strength she could handle the whole Berserker Staff without going crazy.

A woman that meant more to him, than he to her. A woman he didn’t understand.

 

**Skye**

She was Trouble with a capital T, an unknown element, an anarchist.

She was girl who was wicked skilled with computers but undisciplined and completely untrained.

She was _his_ rookie, his to train and teach and protect.

A traitor.

She was a rookie with promise, a good heart, and a gabby streak a mile long.

She was a young woman who straightened out her loyalties and buckled down to business. A part of the team. She was smart, inventive, and unorthodox; she got the job done.

She was stupidly brave, not field-ready, bleeding out. She shouldn’t have been out there.

 

**Coulson**

Agent Coulson. He was the agent whose valiant death in New York brought the Avengers together. He wasn’t dead; he was Ward's unorthodox CO.

An agent who was so badass he stormed the Maltese beach in a suit and tie.

He was a man who was all too trusting, giving second chances out like they were candy.

He was a CO who trusted him to keep it together as he was falling apart at the seams. A vital leader.

He was a man Melinda trusted implicitly, a man who hypocritically warned about endangering an op by letting things get personal.

 

**Simmons**

She was a brilliant biochemist who failed her field assessment. She was bubbly and enthusiastic with an odd admiration for the goopiest things.

She was able to whip up tech like it was nothing, spout technobabble like it was her native tongue, and perform surgery like it was her calling. She was just the sort of asset he was proud to protect.

She was a noble soul who was prepared to sacrifice herself to save the rest of the team. She was foolishly brave.

She was a woman working her hardest to keep the team patched up, breathing and alive.

 

**Fitz**

He was a technical genius who built extraordinary guns, but had never used one in his life.

He was a man completely unprepared for fieldwork, whose technobabble-to-English dictionary was broken (if it every existed).

He was a man who was dangerously co-dependent on Simmons.

He was a quick-thinking agent determined _and_ able to pull his own weight and get the mission done. Surprisingly. He was an agent who had Ward's back, despite the lack of field training.

He was a man who was almost ruthless in pursuit of Centipede and Coulson, a man who pushed his boundaries for the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Melinda drabble was inspired by Ward's insecurity in this scene [May/Ward Gif](http://whedonversegifs.tumblr.com/post/63091538010)
> 
> And I know this is a bit gauche, but I don’t know whose POV to do next. I love the whole team, any suggestions?


	3. Jemma Simmons - Analytically Minded and Pretty as a Peach

**Fitz**

He was her best friend, her sounding board, her left brain/right hand. His engineering tech mixed with her biochemical goop was a perfect amalgam. She didn’t know if she could have survived the trials and tests of the Academy let alone The Bus without him. He was a sandwich-sharer when she was hungry but not too hungry, a tea-maker when she wanted tea (which was always), and her champion when she needed one (which was rarely). He was there when she needed him, and she him. They’d been called Fitzsimmons in Sci-Tech, and it was true. They were one, indivisible.

 

**Skye**

She was her best female friend. The hours spent sharing cookie dough – an American delicacy – huddled over Skye’s girly magazines - laughing - felt amazing. Like she was recapturing her childhood. And Skye didn’t make her feel foolish or stupid when she explained terms such as ‘metrosexual’, ‘manscaping’, or ‘prancersize.’ Skye was smart too; able to brush through layers of firewalls and encryption like they were tissue-paper, but the best thing was her laugh. It was joyful and uninhibited, an almost hyena-like cackle (which was a huge complement, hyenas were the fourth awesomest creatures). Skye needed to wake and laugh once more.

 

**Coulson**

He was the niftiest commanding officer ever. He had a remarkable technological knowledge for a field agent and was a cunning Upwords player. He was the sort of stern leader she’d always admired. He respected them enough to step back and let them work, but would also push them to do their best. He had the oddest palate and kept The Bus kitchen well stocked with prosciutto and quinoa as well as Ho Hos and donuts. He’d been more than a little shaken up by being captured by Centipede and tortured for information, but then again so were they all.

 

**Ward**

He was kind and protective under his serious, grumpy, lone-wolf persona. He was wolf-like, but a pack wolf, happy protecting the den or training up yearlings. Ever since he caught her out of the sky and eased her fears with his ‘science and doodads’ talk, she knew his persona was false. Which certainly made all of the time she spent stitching him up harder, knowing that his stoicism was a front and that she was hurting him with her inexpert stitching. But his frequent injuries also inspired her to learn more medical techniques, which was all for the good, _now_.

 

**May**

She was an enigma. She was the scary wrist-breaking Calvary as well as fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and small secret smiles. She was silent ghosting movements followed up by two-word quips about Skye’s girly magazines.  She was stern and uncommunicative, but emphatically loyal to Coulson, to the team. She was skilled piloting and watchful eyes. She was elegant Tai Chi and measured, swift strikes. She was a puzzle, and Jemma liked puzzles, figuring out which piece went where to construct the whole. She liked puzzles as long as they weren’t staring at her, watching her struggle to keep Skye breathing.


	4. Leo Fitz – Always the Gadget Guy

**Jemma**

  * She was his best friend, his sounding board, his right brain _and_ right hand. They’d been called Fitzsimmons in Sci-Tech, and it was true. They were one, inseparable.
  * She was the biochemical application of his engineering tech.
  * She was so smart, so passionate. She loved learning more than life itself – and learning about life most of all – but also really loved Harry Potter, Dr. Who, and Natural History Museums.
  * She was the penultimate sandwich-maker (the ultimate sandwich-maker being Arthur Dent, of course), an excuse to make tea at any point day or night, and his proponent whenever he needed one.



 

**Ward**

  * He was a testosterone-fueled ‘get the bad guy, protect the girl, save the world, toss the sandwich’ Operations Specialist. Mostly.
  * Like the vast majority of Operations Specialists, Ward had no idea how much effort went into designing, testing, and fabricating his gear. He didn’t respect the gear, or the gear-makers. Not at first.
  * He was a hammer and saw a world full of nails. He looked down upon non-hammer people – most of the time.
  * Somewhere beneath his Operations Specialist exterior, Ward did have a heart and was beginning to learn the value of other skill sets. Especially now, with Skye.



 

**Skye**

  * She was a keen and intuitive hacker, able to quantum tunnel through layers of firewalls like she was an electron.
  * She was the least supportive pretend girlfriend he’d ever had – and he’d had three – but that didn’t really matter because she was a good friend. She had (surprisingly good-naturedly) put up with his foot-in-mouth disorder until he had gotten over his gah-cute-girl reaction.
  * She needed to wake up and tell him it wasn’t his fault, that there was no way he’d been able to dissuade her from going into that mansion. He’d tried telling himself, but it just didn’t take.



 

**Coulson**

  * He was a pretty good commanding officer, not so focused in his own methods and specialties he didn’t see the value in others.
  * He had recognized their genius and respected them enough to step back and let them work, but also pushed them to do their best. Fitz hated to admit it, but he _did_ do best under pressure.
  * Fitz had mixed opinions about Coulson’s disregard for his lack of field certification. It was nice that he though he could get the mission done in South Ossetia, but Skye wouldn’t have been hurt if somebody else had been with her.



 

**May**

  * She was a great pilot, able to get The Bus to preform above specs with Crazy Ivans and that awesome maneuver she used in South Ossetia. And she was a decent mechanic too. Not that he’d trust her to repair the D.W.A.R.F.s, but he totally trusted her to take care of The Bus.
  * She was more than a bit scary, with that ‘wrist-breaking, taking down those Peruvian goons swiftly and stealthily’ introduction, and everything else she’d done.
  * She was a conundrum. She was dark matter: undetectable, non-interacting, but also the gravitational glue that held the universe/team together with her loyalty.




	5. Not heroes because of what they have, but what they do with it.

**Skye**

Skye was quips and smirks covering a bumpy past. She was unflagging optimism and unconventional yet unquestioningly effective methodologies.

Skye was armored optimism and concealed yearning. She was longingly searching for family whilst inadvertently building one out of an assortment of broken soldiers and awkward kids.

Skye was informal affection and nicknames creating deeper, more paternal feelings. Creating the need to protect her from harm, protect her from the truth _and_ tell her all.

Skye was deathly still, bleeding out. Each miniscule gasp, each drop of blood mocked his second chance at life, derided his hope of making things better.

 

**Melinda**

Melinda was Skopje, Fuzhou, Caracas, and Kyoto. Each other’s lives saved and sixes had so many times accounting was no longer taken, debts that need never be repaid.

Melinda was Bahrain. A life-altering op, a pep talk gone wrong, an excellent agent hiding away from the world, and a good friend failing her.

Melinda was lip-tweaks and brow-arches, shared scars and eye-rolls.

Melinda was the once and future prank-master (yes, he’d seen the security footage, _and_ wiped it for her).

Melinda was the one he trusted implicitly. The one who knew him, before. The one who always had his back.

 

**Ward**

Ward was a good Specialist if a bit lacking in the emotional intelligence department. His combat and espionage skills were exceptional, as reported, and interpersonal issues were easily explained by his family history, but he had hidden potential.

Ward just needed the right environment, the right role models. He only needed to re-learn the definition of family. And his skills had come in handy more than once.

Ward was patient with his rookie and protective of Fitzsimmons. His relationship with Melinda was less easily defined, but had the _potential_ to be good for both of them. It wasn’t Phil’s place.

 

**Simmons**

Jemma was a good kid. She was super-smart, fearless, enthusiastic. She and Fitz were nigh inseparable. They’d come highly recommended with the caveat that they worked well together, but they were otherwise ‘not very good with people’.

At times Jemma’s awkwardness was endearing (‘a man your age,’ indeed!), but her enthusiasm was always welcome. He knew this whole endeavor was pushing her boundaries beyond her wildest expectations – jumping out of The Bus notwithstanding – and she was going to grow into a simply marvelous woman.

At times he worried about the pressure, but he needed her skills now – to save Skye.

 

**Fitz**

Fitz was a good kid. He was genius-level smart, eager to please, and very awkward. He and Jemma were an amazing team with their unusual interdisciplinary synchronicity. Together they were able to accomplish the impossible before breakfast, not just believe it like the White Queen.

Fitz had untapped potential, untested strength – like a certain Captain America fanboy – he just needed a little push to learn he was more than his self-constrained ‘Genius Engineer’.

He just hoped Fitz didn’t blame himself too much for Skye. There was no way he’d be able to dissuade her nor been able to save her.


	6. You can’t image your life without them.

**Coulson**

A.C. was so cool. From his Italian leather loafers to his Brooks Brothers suit jacket, he was one cool “Man in Black”.

He was a dyed-in-the-wool (get it? a suit pun!) company man for whom personal loyalty and results mattered more than ‘protocol crap.’

Coulson solved the mystery of her past and her missing family and gave her a family and a home. He was the father figure she never _really_ thought she’d get. Aside: he totally had the whole disappointed-dad look down pat.

She’d been terrified of losing him to Centipede – or to his own memories – but she didn’t.

 

**Jemma**

Jemma was a ‘bloody brilliant’ awkward-turtle. Which was cool, ‘cause geek chic was totally in. She had her own style with her silk blouses and masculine ties, clunky boots and embroidered roses.

Jemma was a kind soul. She forgave Skye’s Rising Tide betrayal with ease and had a kind – if sometimes embarrassing (Mr. Agent Sitwell sir’s gorgeous _head_ anyone?) – word for everyone, even the conscripted Centipede soldiers.

Bad-girl-shenanigans aside, Jemma was a super chill girl, and the best girlfriend a chick could have. From stereotypical girls-nights-in (something Skye had always wanted to do) to jumping in front of a grenade.

 

**Ward**

She though Ward was The Man, was a robot, all stiff movements and perfect posture encased in a Jason Bourne-style leather jacket. But in reality, Ward was a nice big brother who just wanted to protect everybody.

Ward was still a bit of a hard ass, especially when it came to her training, but she’d had enough ‘close calls’ in the field to know that yeah, it was really important to know how to disarm someone – and it intimated the ass off of Rent-a-Cops.

Ward was a good S.O., and big brother, a caring heart covered by a firm exterior.

 

**Fitz**

Fitz was an awkward engineering genius in chunky sweaters and clashing patterns. In the beginning he had trouble **not** making sexual innuendos, but he was actually super sweet and totally (obliviously) in love with Jemma.

Fitz was so protective of Jemma – and utterly crushed when she was dying – and they were totally on the same wavelength all the time. It was soooo cute!

Fitz was really proud of his inventions (don’t, for the love of Thor, get him started on how he came up with the D.W.A.R.F.s) but adorably, he wanted to be known for more than just his gadgets.

 

**May**

May was confusing. She was certainly silent and deadly – that wasn’t confusing at all – but she sometimes acted like Skye was the bane of her existence, and sometimes like she was a valuable member of the team. Skye still was a bit heart-sore from the time May told Hand to kick her off the team, even though she _knew_ May was just playing Agent Hand.

May was super slick in her flight suit and aviators, and unquestioningly kickass, but now that Skye knew the truth about ‘The Cavalry’, she wanted to get to know the woman beneath the armored Agent.

 

**The Bus**

The Bus was home. It wasn’t her van – a set of wheels tricked out with the best tech money could buy (or well, the best tech _she_ could afford, and the best programming she could write), her clothes, and her freedom – but it was damn close.

She still had her clothes, and her freedom – now that A.C. had taken the Internet-nanny off – and some killer tech (not that Fitzsimmons let her play with the holotable) but the Bus also had the _team_.

The Bus was her bunk and privacy, was the living room and kickass team game nights, and Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, kudosing, subscribing, and bookmarking. If you have a sec to comment on what you liked, or give constructive criticism, that would be great!


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